Spring Tea: Jane Austen & Feminist Humor

Spring Tea 2021
Speaker: Audrey Bilger
Topic:Jane Austen and Feminist Humor
Hosted via Zoom by Marcia Hamley (Co-Region Coordinator)
By Vonnie Alto, Secretary
 
Our region held its annual Spring Tea via a virtual zoom meeting on Sunday, May 25th, 2021. Fifty three of us attended. We opened our virtual tea with an online chat of where members live which included visitors from California; the East Coast of Boston and Portland, Maine; and as far away as Dublin, Ireland; Geneva Switzerland, and Germany.
 
We played “Jane Austen Categories,” a lively version that our own Marcia Hamley invented based on the online game “Scattagories.”
 
Our group separated into 5 teams of two rounds.
 
In Round 1, we named characters from Jane Austen’s novels starting with the letters of JASNA or rather JASNE (2nd letter “a” replaced with an “e.). No titles, only characters in Jane Austen’s works, and preferably full names that we used only once. If we couldn’t confirm the name in a Jane Austen book, we relied on the group wisdom.  Some of the character names we discussed were: Jane Fairfax, Anne Elliot, and Susan Price.
 
In Round 2, we named locations in Jane Austen’s novels and life. After we returned to our main group, the game prompted attenders to recommend Jane Austen books about place names: 

• The List Lover’s Guide to Jane Austen by Joan Strasbaugh.
  • Jane Austen’s Names: Riddles, Persons, Places by Margaret Doody.
  • Jane Austen’s England by Roy & Lesley Adkins.
  • Jane Austen’s England by Maggie Lane.
  • Jane Austen and Names by Maggie Lane.

 
Our Region Co-Coordinator, Marcia Hamley then introduced our presenter, Audrey Bilger. Audrey has a PhD. in English with a focus on Feminist theory, LGBTQ, gender theory, and popular culture. Since 2019, she served as the Reed College President and interestingly the first woman President of Reed College.
 
Audrey spoke about “Jane Austen and Feminist Humor,” the subject of her book, Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen.
 
Audrey used many colorful and descriptive slides with quotes from Jane Austen’s books to illustrate Enlightenment, rationalism, feminist humor, and what life was like for Jane Austen and women in her time. She places Austen as falling within (and perfecting) the tradition of Enlightenment feminist humor, which began in England as writers responded in print to the misogyny and sexism in numerous satires against women from the last half of the 17th and the first half of the 18th centuries. 
 
Audrey noted that satire ridicules in order to reform the shortcomings of society.  Feminist humor took a satirical aim at notions of men’s supposed superiority to women and portrayals of women as infantile and frivolous creatures, and promoted instead the Enlightenment feminist ideal of women and men as equals.
 
Bilger pointed out that Austen’s sharpest social criticism (and satire) was frequently aimed a limitations placed on women such as idealized views of women, women who behave irrationally due to poor education, men who think they’re superior to women, and sentimentality..
 
Important Take-aways From Audrey Bilger’s Presentation:

• Cassandra Austen’s portrait of Jane Austen facilitated a group discussion of the real Jane Austen.
  • Reveals characteristics in Jane Austen’s personality.
  • The sharpness of features is not a softened up version.
  • Jane Austen frowning is more realistic than later portraits of her which are more idealized (i.e. sharpness of her features were adjusted into the popular doe-like eyes look).
  • Shows her looking like she has opinions of what’s going on and what she’s seeing (i.e. an irony compared to detachment).
    
  • Shows that Jane Austen is not passive and has agency.
  • Marcia Hamley said that Jane Austen “looks spicy and edgy with a lot to say.”
  • It was noted that the portrait illustration was looked closely at when it first started to circulate.

 

• Jane Austen’s Letter to Cassandra Austen, 1813.
  • Reveals Jane Austen’s philosophy, “I do not write for such dull elves, as have not a great deal of Ingenuity themselves.”
  • Jane Austen uses satire. Satire ridicules to reform—to change the world.

 

• Jane Austen makes us laugh at her characters.
  • Jane Austen wrote delightful comedies.
  • Her humor has a feminist slant.
  • To paraphrase her words, “It should be a truth universally acknowledged.”

 

• Quote: “Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as rational creature speaking the truth from her heart.” Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice.

• References Elizabeth’s dialogue with Mr. Collins.
• Illustrates Jane Austen’s humor.
• We root for Elizabeth and not Mr. Collins.

 

• Pop Culture’s View On Feminism.
  • Represents feminists as angry.
  • Feminists need to be silenced.
  • Therefore, the history of feminism is not different from other equal rights movements. Men and women should be equal. 

 

• Pioneer books of Feminism.

• They Used to Call Me Snow White…But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor (published 2013).
• Comedy and the Woman Writer: Woolf, Spark, and Feminism by Judy Little (published 2015).
• A Very Serious Thing: Women’s Humor and American Culture” by Nancy Walker (published 1988).

 

• Enlightenment Feminist Humor 101.
  • Men are in inherently superior to women = Ridiculous.
  • Woman are infantile, frivolous creatures = Ridiculous.
  • Women and men are equal = Enlightenment Feminist Ideal.

 

• Misogynist Satire of the Enlightenment.
  • Writers responded to misogyny and sexism with satire.
  • Women were more than the objects of humor.
  • See An Essay in Defense of the Female Sex by Sophia Drake.

 

• Enlightenment Views on Feminism.

• Human beings are rational beings.
• The notion that men and women possess reason during Jane Austen’s time gained ground.
• The appeal to reason brought good to the world and changed how men and women interact.
• Women’s worth and status were debated.

 

• The Print Culture in 18th Century:
  • Women’s increase in print culture brought about a new culture involving feminist humor which Jane Austen took part in and perfected.
  • Enlightenment, rationalism, feminist humor, and Jane Austen are all related.

 

• Historical Literary Feminists.
  • Mary Wollstonecraft was not an isolated voice crying out for women’s justice. (See below for Other Historical Feminist Publications).
  • Jane Austen has been linked to other Feminist women writers such as Aphra Behn and Frances Burney.
  • 18th century Feminist women writers shared a sense of humor.

 

• Other Historical Feminist Publications.
  • An Essay in Defense of the Female Sex by Judith Drake (1696).
    • 17th Century Feminist humor.
    • Lists of male character types who deserve to be ridiculed (i.e. the beau, fop, squire, politician).
    • The belief in male superiority is a foolish choice.
  • Woman Not Inferior to Man by Sophia (1739).
    • Male folly is varied and pervasive.
    • Ridicules in an attempt to reform.
  • A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1789) by Mary Wollstonecraft.
    • About women’s equal Rights.
    • Wollstonecraft expanded equal rights to make the case that women are equal to men.
    • Laughs at the absurd views of Rousseau’s Emile (with a young girl writing her O’s).
    • Quotes people to show the ridiculousness of their view.

 

• Jane Austen’s Writings.

• Depicts rational women to be taken seriously.
• Celebrates marriages of mutual respect.
• Partners in marriage are companions.
• Equality of sexes.
• Feminism is one aspect of her comic vision.
• Writes both feminism and humor against the idealized view that puts women on pedestals.
• Believes in laughter in love.
• Believes in an abiding faith in rationality.

 

• Targets of Austen’s Feminist Laughter (accompanied by antique illustrations from Jane Austen’s books).
  • Idealized views of women.
  • Women who behave irrationally.
  • Men who think they’re superior to women.
  • Sentimentality.

 

• Laughing at Idealized View of Women.

        “She felt the awkwardness of having no party to join.” - Northanger Abbey

• Catherine in her girlhood likes boy pursuits. This is not strange at all.
• Jane Austen makes fun of dolls because it’s her nature.
• Catherine takes care of her siblings.
• Henry Tilney is a reasonable man. He values conversations with Catherine.

 

• Laughing at Irrational Women.

         Pride And Prejudice

• Here Jane Austen laughs at irrational women.
• Mr. Bennet is guilty of not treating his wife as a companion.
• Mr. Bennet’s behavior encourages Mrs. Bennet’s follies instead of overcoming them. She is who she is because she hasn’t been guided to better behavior.

 

• Laughing at Male Superiority.

        “Almost as soon as I entered the house, I singled you out as the companion of my future life.” –   
        Pride And Prejudice

• Jane Austen uses Mr. Collins to laugh at male superiority.
• Mr. Collins has artificial gallantry. He doesn’t know how to be genuinely gallant.
• Mr. Collins has pompous and insincere behavior with exaggerated notions of romance.

 

• Laughing at Sentimentality.

        “Come Darcy,” said he. “I must have you dance.” – Pride And Prejudice.

• Debunks the courtship system that leads to artificiality between men and women.
• Elizabeth gets rewarded for defying conduct book behavior.
• Women can take liberties with men instead of always being in awe of them.

 

• Final Conclusions.

• Happily ever after is not realistic. Marriages are not pictures of perfection.
• There’s a root of equality in the Enlightenment.
• Humor is an effective tool to show that women are rational creatures and deserve to be heard when they speak the truth of their hearts.

 
5.  Question/Answer (What Our Group Said).

• Women were sexualized = sentimentalized. A result of sentimentality.

 

• About the subversive subtext of Humor and Feminism.
  • Arnie Perlstein said that, “Jane Austen is just as bawdy as Shakespeare, but it’s more coded.”
  • Frances Burney has a lot of bawdiness and shields her characters. Artificial humor is hidden in plain sight.

 

• Courtship in Jane Austen’s Novels.
  • We idealize romantic couples in Jane Austen’s writings.
  • She has characters meet in conversation.
  • Knightly encourages Emma to be all that she can be.
  • Elizabeth encourages Darcy to be all that he can be. Therefore, there’s mutual play and mutual growth. Elizabeth sees how he treats others around him as she gets to know Pemberley.
  • Invites laughter.

 

• Catherine Moreland of Northanger Abbey.
  • A classical anti-heroine. She not bad. She’s real.
  • The courtship between Henry Tilney and Catherine is that of an avuncular, gently mocking suitor and a real heroine.
  • When Catherine and Henry begin to enter into dialogue, we can imagine that they will have an egalitarian marriage.

 

• Emma.

• Miss Bates had a lot of information. The more Emma overlooks her, the less she understands herself and others.
• Miss Bates shows what it means for a woman who doesn’t have family.
• Emma chooses wit over kindness and puts down Miss Bates.
• The satire of Miss Bates doesn’t reflect on Miss Bates as a silly woman. The satire of Miss Bates allows us to reflect on those around her and how they treat her (i.e. most especially Emma).
• We’re seeing humor at Emma’s maturation.

 

• Pride & Prejudice.

• Charlotte Lucas is pragmatic. She chooses Mr. Collins. She doesn’t marry for love.
• Charlotte organizes her house. Not a great situation for her. She’s in a situation in which she may feel out of her element and in which may feel less familiar to her.
• Elizabeth says no to Mr. Collins. She ends up getting the reward because the author waits to reward this independent thinking heroine. 

 

• Audrey Bilger’s Interest in Women Writers.

• Became interested in humor with her M.A. program when she studied Virginia Woolf who is tough and shows humor as despair. 
• Then backed her way into the 19th century.
• Noticed that there wasn’t as much comedy by 18th century women writers.
• Noticed darker humor in the 19th century.
• There are authors that came after Jane Austen who make use of comedy for criticism.
• Taught a class on Jane Austen, the Brontes, and Virginia Woolf at Claremont Colleges.

• The Brontes and Virginia Woolf had to look back to Jane Austen.  There’s a sense of admiration for Jane Austen but that it’s not what they write. They’re doing their own thing.

• Jane Austen was influenced by Mary Wollstonecraft. Frances Burney would have been aware of Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary Wollstonecraft is in the mix.
• Mary Wollstonecraft’s name and ideas would have been known to Jane Austen as was the French Revolution, Thomas Paine and his democratic framework, and women’s rights.

 
Thank you, Audrey Bilger for an enlightening examination of Jane Austen’s life, her books, Enlightenment feminist humor, and what life was like for women who lived during the 17th and 18th centuries!